The Nightmare
by Lola93091
Summary: Part of my Christmas story, "Happy", this one focuses on Oswald and Eva's son who has a terrible nightmare. Please read if you enjoy imagining a young Oswald as a devoted father :)


**THE NIGHTMARE**

**Part of my Christmas story, "Happy", Oswald and Eva's son has a nightmare. It will be immensely creepy at first but it's okay…keep reading **** it will melt your heart. **

**3 AM**

_Soft feet padded to the large closet doors. With only the moonlight illuminating the white grain of the wood, the little boy's blue eyes remained wide and still in fear. His body shook as suddenly…_

_BAM! _

_He jumped back, tripping in the process sending him flat on his bottom. Sock covered feet scrambled against the carpet as he tried his best to get up from the ground but then the doors flew open to reveal nothing but darkness within. The tips of hangers peeked but nothing else except for the sound of a heaving breath. _

"_H-Hello?" the little boy questioned, too afraid to move forward. Looking to the side his sanctuary lied just past the bedroom door; to the room of his loving parents is where he so desperately wanted to run. His small hands curled the material of his pajama shirt, fidgeting in place while considering making a run for it. But something kept him in place as a voice called out from inside the closet. _

"_Hello?" _

_Whatever sinister force lied inside, it only mocked the little boy. _

_The child's body trembled from fright, not understanding what it could possibly want when he only wanted to make friends. Looking once more to the entry door, a toy ball was thrown forcefully with a snarl at him. Finding himself on his bottom again the decision was made to run straight out of the room. Running as fast as his legs would allow him the door was slammed right before his face. By a force that could not be seen he watched the lock above him turn and twist violently. Now, he couldn't stop his hands from flailing helplessly calling out. _

"_Mommy! Daddy! MOMMY! DADDY!" screaming and screaming, his pleas fell on deaf ears as no one came to his bedroom door. _

"_PLEASE! DADDY! MOMMY!" _

"_SHUT UP!" _

_His mouth instantly closed at the sound of an evil and truly malevolent voice behind him. With nowhere else to run to he turned around slowly, shaking and completely petrified. The small child met the figure presently sitting on his bed just before the window. It looked to be a woman…with the moonlight rays showing the knotted strands sticking in all directions. Long skinny arms rested at her sides with her head turned downward, giving her face a veil of shadow. _

"_Please…where is my mommy and daddy?" he asked this frightening stranger, hoping and hoping she would let him go. She laughed, a nasty crooked laugh with nothing good laced within its tone. _

"_They are dead…now…come here" her hand lifted, long sharp fingernails showing in the light. _

"_NOO! MOMMMMY! DADDY!" he yelled out, shocked and utterly terrified by her reply. So young, the poor boy wept and wept, sniffling his cries and continuously shaking with a cold sweat taking over. _

"_I SAID COME HERE AND SHUT UP!" _

_He couldn't stop no matter how hard he tried. The evil entity could still hear his weeping cries and runny nose from where it rested. _

_Christopher's heart pounded against his small ribcage. He closed his eyes and wished for it all to go away just like his parents told him to. Struggling to take a breath, he began counting down, "five…four…three…two…" his small fingers split apart so that he could peek through. _

"_ONE…still here little boy…think you can wish me away hm?" _

_Her face stood dangerously close to his as she stood on all fours. As he looked between his fingers, he was met with the most hideous and horrifying sight of yellow eyes, rotten skin and sharp teeth. Her breath, hot against his hands, threatened him the more she talked. _

"_Christopher? Christopher?" her voice mimicked his mother's. But it only scared him more to know he was being teased. _

"_Look at me you little brat!" the creature before him growled. Opening his eyes slowly, he obeyed. _

_Crawling forward closer, her knees and arms cracked, and the course long hair fell forward to brush against him. Her head bent down like a predator to smell him from his feet to his shoulders. With another crack- this time at the neck- she hissed under her breath. _

"_Chrrrisssstopphherrr" _

_She looked straight into those bright icy blue eyes of his, so small yet wide with fear. The force was feeding off his fear and despised his attention devoted elsewhere. Sharp nails embedded in the carpet beneath. _

_His little hand shook as it moved with difficulty up to his face to swipe away the tears. _

"_STOP CRYING!" _

_He jumped at the sound, so loud and so awful to his fragile ears. He didn't know what it wanted, only that what he wanted were his parents…who are now dead. Those words repeated in his mind and the tears threatened to fall more than before after she had commanded him to stop. Just as the waterworks started, the woman slammed her hand on the ground. _

"_I SAID STOP IT!" This time she yelled louder and nastier. It was now that Christopher did not know what else to do and cried harder. With a scream she pulled at his feet and began to crawl back into the closet, back towards the deep shadows that led to a place he feared in all his nightmares. Kicking, screaming, yelling, crying, begging, the little boy exhausted everything as her hands continued to drag him towards the dark destination. _

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Christopher's body shot up in bed. Sitting up with short strands of black hair glued against his forehead, he panted from the nightmare he just experienced.

"Christopher?" a familiar voice filled with worry came from the doorway.

The little boy's face wet from all the tears jumped at his father's presence.

"DADDY!"

Tangling in the sheets, the little boy fought against the bed falling to the ground with a loud **thump!** Oswald limped quickly to his son by the way he so desperately making his way to him. Traveling a short distance he watched his son trip a few times before hugging his legs.

"DADDY! SHE SAID YOU WERE DEAD! SHE SAID MOMMY'S DEAD TOO!" he managed to get out before collapsing in tears. Oswald's brows knit in sadness at the words he was hearing from his boy. Understanding he had some sort of really terrible nightmare he bent down to pick him up. Taking a hold of him beneath his small arms, the boy's body was lifted up into the safe and warm embrace of his father. Letting the boy sniffle some more into his shoulder he rested his head against him calming him down.

"Hey, hey, shhh it's alright…I'm not dead" his father chuckled. The little boy responded only by holding him tighter. "And your mother is not dead either…it's okay shhhhh" he rubbed his son's back repeatedly. Feeling his cries let up, he knew this gesture would calm him down as the boy finally realized he was finally safe completely.

"Who said we were dead hm?"

"She did"

"Who?" Oswald moved his head back to look at his son's face. Christopher leant over to his ear and whispered fearfully low just in case the monster he feared would hear his words.

"The woman in the closet". Oswald rolled his eyes, _of course it's always the monsters in the closet or underneath the bed_, he thought. Once upon a time, he too dreamt of these monsters but since school had treated him so badly those monsters couldn't compare and became much bearable until he grew older.

With a sigh, he walked over to the closet until the boy whimpered at the direction he was taking him. Gripping onto his father's shirt, Oswald told him, "Christopher, look at me, it was just a dream…I'll prove it to you". Against his son's pleas, his large hands took the knobs of the closet doors and opened them wide. He could feel that small heart beating wildly as the darkness greeted the child once again. Swiping the hangers to the side and pushing the clothes and toys, he made it very clear that nothing was hiding in the closet.

"See? I told you, nothing…she's not here because she does not exist"

He let his son's eyes wander over all the things covering the ground and hung up on the hangers all the way to the top shelf of stuffed animals. Looking at it long enough he shut the doors and kissed his son's forehead.

"Nightmares lie to you, they trick you and they live off your fear…but you don't let them win"

His father's voice lulled him into a calm state of mind, forgetting all he had dreamed about moments ago. This time as he was taken back to his bed, Oswald lowered the sheets to accompany his son. This made Christopher beam with happiness and now felt completely untouchable to the monsters who lurked in the shadows.

"You're going to sleep here Daddy?"

Yawning, Oswald fixed a pillow beneath his bed beside his son.

"Yes", he answered simply resulting in another hug. He smiled as the small boy jumped closer to his dad, little arms stretching across his chest.

"What if the monster comes back?"

Oswald smiled again, finding his son's childish fear adorably amusing. Holding him tighter against his body he spoke, "Then I will be right here waiting for her". Hoping this would be the end of that, his son questioned again.

"And then?"

"And then she will never, ever, ever bother you again". Silence came and he thought his son had finally fallen asleep until he heard,

"Thank you daddy"

He lifted a hand to rub the boy's head in devotion. With a few more massages to his back he soon heard the steady breaths of his son. Oswald's head turned to look at the closet. He knew it was all part of the boy's imagination and he knew he had nothing to worry about when it came to the closet or beneath the bed or even behind the door…no…he knew all about monsters…knows everything a man could possibly know. Of course, he himself was still young, just approaching thirty-four years old. But as he lied awake with his son secured in his arms he thought himself a relative of the monsters that hid in the dark. With all secrets learned in the darkest corners of Gotham, he knew that it would take a monster to protect his family from the real monsters outside. Yes, he will be waiting right here for them.


End file.
